The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-10
The ESTIMATE OF LEE REVIEWED
His inaccurae, as TO Facts and Figures -Unneees-
say fietions woIseIe, Denounced as
Cad Parthian Arrow


Gen. X. +. Lee.
'.One would reasonably suppose" says
Jefferson Davis at the outset of his let
ter, that am eminent soldier, when
writing of another of worldwide fame,
| and of military affairs. which, to no small
| extent, have become historical. would
| contine himself to ascertainable facts in
stead of adopting the style of a sensa-
tional novelist and manufacturing acces-
sories with the freedom of romancer.
That such is the character of Gen. Wolse-
lyes article l propose, in brief review
| TO demonstrate. We of the South crate
! fully accept the eulogy. which could not
| exceed the esteem and love and honor i'm
which we hold the memory Of Lee. but
we, who knew him best. feel that he
needs no pedestal constructed of the
| wrecks of his associates reputation. The
true recital of his deeds is his best eulogy.
| and that which alone accords with his
| moral worth.
Though Lee had full confidence in
the valor and constancy of his troops,
and they implicitly confided i'm him. and
though his frequent attacks on the en-
| envy. Notwithstanding the disparity of
| numbers and the inferiority of his arms
and equipments. show his daring and
| combative temper, We are indebted
To Gen. Wolseley for the statement that
when. in 1862, he visited Lee at the
head of proud and victorious troops, he
smiled at the notion of defeat by any
army that could be sent against him. Ii
may here he well To recall remembrance
of the fact that when Lee reported "A
victory he always ascribed il 10 the
favor of Providence. not To the invinci-
bility of his army. In the article under
review Gen. Wolseley presents himself
not only as a military critic but also ~ a
political historian. Thus lac writes in
his first paragraph as follows:
Lees soldiers. well versed. as all
Americans are, in the history of their
forefathers' struggle against Kingtieorge
the Third. and believing firmly in the
justice of their cause. saw the same vir-
tue IN one rebellion that was To be- found
in the other. This was the point upon
which, during my stay in Virginia in
1852. i found every Southerner laid the
greatest stress.
Those who thus spoke to him must
have adapted their language to the
hearer, for by none were the resolutions
of 1889 more generally known and
accepted as "A cardinal creed than 10y
Nirginians. Ii wasethe assertion OF CON
tinuance i'm the state of sovereignty and
Independence which had been won by
the war of the rebellion against George
ifb'is 'hA iii i'pi
Virginia was "A sovereign State, and il is
"A solecism to speak of the rebellion of "A
sovereign. In "A subsequent portion of
the same article General Wolseley shows
that he had learned from General Lee
the Southern doctrine, but there is an
error i'm introducing the ad djective old 10
qualify State. General Lee certainly
knew, as did every educated American,
that the States were all equal as To
rights and obligations"
INACcURAcY IN FACTS AND DATES.
Mr.. Davis discusses Gen. Wolseley's
narrative of Gen. Lees repugnance to
secession, and says that very little refiec
ton might have shown him (Wolseley)
that the narration was in conformity To
the cornerstone of the Confederacy, and
that the war between the States was
especially different from the uprising of
the colonies against their British SOW
ereign. Mr.. Davis takes Gen. Wolseley
To task for misstatements of fact and
chronological inaccuracies in treating of
the organization of the Confederacy. The
letter continues:
THE assertion that Lee most dcplored
the election of officers by the men they
were to command must excite surprise
among those who knew Lee best, and
slso the manner in which our army was
raised. The citizens of the several States
volunteered to defend their homes and
inherited rights. Under the laws of the
Confederate Government they were TO be
received into the general service by com
panies, battalions or regiments as organ
lied under State authority, and To be
formed by the Confederate authorities
into brigades, divisions and corps
darmee, as occasion required, the gen
eral officers TO be appointed by the Con
federate Government. Ii is 10 be borne
i'm mind that the troops were drawn
from the pursuits of civil life. Who 80
capable To judge of fitness to command
company. a battalion or regiment as
the men composing it! The higher Of
ficers might be wisely selected from men
of established military reputation, or
from those who in service should mani
fest extraordinary ability, and the APP
pointments of the generals to command
the troops furnished by the States was
conceded to the Confederate Govern
ment. IL the power To appoint the Of
ficers had been conferred upon the gen
eral commanding an army, we might
have had system preferable. Ia Gen.
Wolse.ey but We should not have had the
armies whose glory will grow brighter
as their history becomes better known.
ITO one possessing less than Gen.
Lees foresight and knowledge Of the
HDfiB
must have been anticipated be-
fore they would consent to let the South
go. but of those who, relying on the con-
right of State to Withdraw
from a league it had voluntarily entered,
when it ceased to answer the end for
which it was established, milder terms
would seem more justly To describe their
of a speedy settlement than
such as ''bombastic oratory Of self-elect-
ed politicians and patriots.
WHOLLY UNNECESSARY FICTION.
mo more than justice is done to Gen.
Lee in describing him when Commander
in-Chief Of the army Of Virginia, and
in the early part of his
service, when a General of the Confed-
eracy, as working assiduously and wisely
to give efficiency and cohesion to our inn
proved armies. His sterling merit was
and his equanimity undis-
turbed by the fears and iibes Of ignorance
or malice, and his fame was too solid 10
require such fiction az the following To
il:
The formation of an army with the
means alone at its disposal was a collos-
sal task. Everything had to be created
by this extraordinary man.
In about two months he had created "A
little army Of fifty thousand men, ami
mated by lofty patriotism and courage
that made them unconquerable by "A sim
ilarly constituted army. I'm another
month this army at Bull Run gained a
complete victory over the Northern inva-
ders, who were driven back across the
Potomac like herds Of frightened sheep.
''Gen. Wolseley has previously shown
that he knew Confederate troops had
been assembled at Charleston, and had
reduced the United States fort at that
place. He might have learned, if he did
not, that Confederate batteries had pre-
vented the enemy's vessel from entering